Patricia Carswell from Monmouth has been shortlisted for the UK Blog Awards for her blog Girl on the River, in the Sport & Fitness category sponsored by Action PR. Now in its fourth successful year, the 2017 UK Blog Awards is the largest awards event for the UK blogging scene, celebrating the best creative writers, photographers and vloggers across 17 different categories.

Patricia who started writing in 2011 was selected as one of the eight finalists for the Sport & Fitness category.

“My husband so sick of hearing me go on and on about rowing that he suggested I write about it, and so Girl on the River was born!” says Patricia. “I’ve been a member of Monmouth Rowing Club for five years, progressing from a novice to winning a silver medal at the British Masters Championships, despite still occasionally struggling with the after-effects of ME which I suffered from in my thirties.

“I’m absolutely astonished to be a finalist in the UK Blog Awards, as I thought that a niche rowing blog would have no chance of making it through, but I hadn’t banked on the power of the rowing community! I had rowers from the most far-flung places voting for me and spreading the word, which was incredible and so humbling. What started as a little hobby has become a way of connecting with rowers from all over the world, and the support I’ve had is amazing.”

With the continual growth of social platforms and blogging, the potential for brands, businesses and individuals to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with bloggers is enormous. The theme of the of the UK Blog Awards this year is “Blog Hero” in recognition of the power bloggers have to highlight products, services and individuals that catch their eye and champion them among their audiences.

“The 2017 UK Blog Awards is set to be our biggest and best yet, and we’re so excited by the shortlist of talented bloggers,” says Gemma Newton, UK Blog Awards Director. “The rise of social media channels has changed the way online content is perceived and the world of blogging and vlogging has never been so creative or influential. With 2,400 entries, and over 96,000 votes cast the finalists have done extremely well to get to this stage, and we look forward to recognising their hard work at our awards night in April.”

Panels of experts in each category sector will judge all shortlisted entries and Patricia will find out if she has been crowned the winner at the acclaimed awards event in London in April.

All finalists can be viewed at www.blogawardsuk.co.uk.